LONDON—In these straitened times, every first night at the Wales Millennium Centre is a cause for muted celebration. “We’re still here,” Welsh National Opera seems to chorus, from its virtuosic pit musicians who long ago … » Read

DETROIT—The lively but radical new production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte , seen at its April 5 premiere at the Detroit Opera House, presupposes that the opera is inherently misogynistic. From a surface reading of Lorenzo da … » Read

LONDON—It must be a welcome relief for Gianandrea Noseda to escape the febrile politics of the Kennedy Center and spend some time away with his other orchestra. The music director of the National Symphony Orchestra has actually had a longer … » Read

The opening image of Barrie Kosky’s Berliner Ensemble production of Die Dreigroschenoper ( The Threepenny Opera ) was a black, beaded show curtain. With some gaudy color added, it might well have served to open a Las Vegas floor show of … » Read

The audience’s quiet, studied attentiveness in Carnegie Hall on March 29 was testament not only to the sheer devotion of Mitusko Uchida's followers but to her superior artistry. Now in her third and final year as a Carnegie … » Read

LONDON—It is unfortunate that a ticketing oversight at Wigmore Hall led to my experiencing this recital from the back row, seated behind two substantial patrons who completely obstructed my view of Joyce DiDonato’s moving performance. … » Read

The Israeli Philharmonic is sure to attract protesters, and its March 26 performance at the Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, CA., the last stop on its U.S. tour, proved no exception. But unlike an earlier concert in San Francisco, where … » Read

Two venerable musicians long associated with the New York Philharmonic joined forces last week. Leonard Slatkin, who first appeared as a guest conductor more than 50 years ago (in 1974), returned in that capacity on March 26 for the first of … » Read

LONDON—The three items on the bill at the London Philharmonic’s March 26 concert—by Kaija Saariaho, Carl Nielsen, and Prokofiev—share no great connection, although two of the three composers were Scandinavian, as is the … » Read

LONDON—Two musical behemoths, of comparable duration and employing near-identical forces, filled London’s Barbican Hall with sound March 23. As well as the healthy economics of engaging four singers for an entire evening rather than a … » Read